Macklemore On His Gay Anthem ‘Same Love': ‘This Is An Important Issue For The World’

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When the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act on June 26 and marriage rights were reinstated to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer couples throughout California, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song “Same Love” became the overnight theme music to centuries worth of equal rights struggles finally being destroyed piece by piece, state by state.

While the Seattle-based hip-hop artist first came on the scene for his fun-loving, quirky hit “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore has made his biggest mark through a song that “started a conversation” at a pivotal moment in history. If anything, the experience has humbled the already intrinsically modest musician, who tells his life stories sincerely through his music, and even used a picture of his gay uncle and his uncle’s partner as the cover art for “Same Love.”

“You hope that a song like [“Same Love”] creates a dialog and people start having conversations around the issues,” Macklemore told L.A.’s AMP Radio. “You hope that there’s an awareness around it, that people start to look at their own prejudices and own stereotypes, and maybe, potentially, use of derogatory language. And that’s what you wish. So, in any capacity that that happened it was a success to me. And the fact that it was embraced on the level it has been where we’re on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and I’m talking to CNN now and there’s this real level of ‘Let’s have this conversation. This is an important issue for the world.’ Not just America.”